The game of blackjack is well known and widely played in most land-based casinos.
At the simplest level, the game of blackjack is played between each one of a number players and a dealer, representing a “house”. During a turn of the game, each player is required to make an initial wager on the outcome of two hands of playing cards, one hand being dealt to the player and the other hand being dealt to the dealer, respectively. After making the initial wager, each player is dealt two cards face up and the dealer is dealt one card face up from one or more decks of 52 playing cards.
Each card is deemed to have a point value as follows: a deuce to a ten is deemed to have a point value equal to the face value of that card; a Jack, a Queen or a King is deemed to have a value of 10, while an Ace is deemed to have a value of 1 or, optionally, 11, at the discretion of the player and the dealer, respectively.
Each player is then required to decide, on the basis of the two playing cards which have been dealt to him, and the dealer's exposed playing card, whether to draw additional cards, one at a time, to augment the player's hand (that is, to “hit”), or not to draw any further additional cards for augmentation of the player's hand (that is, to “stand”). If the total point value of the cards in the player's hand exceeds 21 at any, the player is deemed to have “bust”, in which case the initial wager is forfeited to the house, and the player takes no further part in that turn of the game.
Once each player in that turn of the game has elected to stand, or has bust, the dealer augments his hand by drawing additional cards, one at a time, according to the following rules:                1. the dealer must hit if the total point value of the cards in the dealer's hand is less than 17;        2. the dealer must stand if the total point value of the cards in the dealer's hand in greater than or equal to 17;        3. the dealer busts if the total point value of the cards in the dealer's hand is greater than 21. If the dealer busts while the player has not, the player wins the initial wager at even money.        
Where neither the player nor the dealer has bust, the outcome of the wager is decided by comparing the total point value of the player and dealer hands. If the player's hand has the higher total point value, the player wins the initial wager at even money. If the dealer's hand has the higher point value, the player's initial wager is forfeited to the house. In the event that the total point values of the player and dealer's hands are equal, the initial wager is neither forfeited not won by the player. There are numerous variations to these rules of the game of blackjack, which are not material to the invention, and which will not be described here in detail.
A disadvantage of this game of conventional blackjack is a lack of variety, which can cause the game to become monotonous, particularly in a multi-player situation, and which can result in a player's interest in the game to wane rapidly.
In order to overcome this problem, it is known to introduce an optional side wager into the game, which a player may elect to exercise in order to liven up the progress of the game. A disadvantage with this particular variation of the game is that a player is required to take a conscious decision whether to exercise the optional side wager, or not, at every turn of the game, which can also cause the player's interest in the game to wane.
A further disadvantage of the game blackjack, when cards are dealt by hand in a land-based casino, is that the progress of the game as a whole is slow, which restricts the rate at which succeeding turns of the game can be played. The problem is further exacerbated when the optional side wager is introduced into the game, as a croupier is required to manage and administer the players' side wagers in addition to the initial wagers, thereby slowing the game down even further.